My work bag collection

For the last six years I’ve been thinking about buying a beautiful pale blue Loewe Amazona bag although lately I’ve really been into the classic and cute Louis Vuitton Pochette Métis bag. Will I ever buy any of those bags? I doubt it. I just don’t feel like spending that much money in one bag when, for the same price, I can book a plane ticket and a nice boutique hotel stay. #Priorities. However, I do love bags and I try to get a decent cost per wear ratio when buying a new one. So if I were to invest in a luxury bag, it would definitely be a work bag. I’m working most of the time, so I might as well have a nice bag to do so…

I’m very happy with my work bag collection, though. It’s a normal working girl collection. It’s not high-street but it’s not luxury. I have all the neutral shades cover, I have a bag for fancy meetings and a bag for casual Fridays, I have an “all you can transport” bag for the days I have French lessons after work (mais oui!) and a cool day visiting galleries or theaters kind of bag. But most importantly, I can fit my lunch box in all of them. Because I do take my lunch with me. I work in an average office and I eat there, between E-mails and lousy coworkers. I also walk to work so all I want is taking just one bag with me so that my 20 minute stroll is as light as possible. I need free hands to snap all the pretty Altbremer Häuser that make our Instagram feed nice and fancy!

The quality of all these bags is outstanding and I can’t recommend them enough. Let’s begin with the black bag because a black work bag is to your wardrobe what olive oil is to your kitchen: essential. My mum got me this Michael Kors bag about three years ago and I’ve used it A LOT. I love how structured it is so it looks nicely put together even when you fill it with all the bits and bobs you need for a long day at work (yes, even the lunch box). The shoulder strap makes it extra comfortable to run around and the leather is really smooth but firm. This bag is sadly discontinued but this one is very similar.

Then we have THE BAG. I don’t know if you remember this post, but go read it now. There’s all you need to know about it. I still love it that much.

My last purchase has been the nude Lancaster Adèle tote bag. Since I love THE BAG so much, I figured I should give this brand another opportunity to shine and I’m so glad I did. When I saw it in our favourite shop in Cortina d’Ampezzo during our latest stay in December I had to buy it. I think Lancaster bags are extraordinary. The design is beautiful, the leather is gorgeous and forgiving and the price tag is very reasonable. So reasonable that sometimes I think they should ask for more money than they do because they feel like bargains! I don’t need any more work bags, but this amazing dark blue tote bag would be a great addition to my collection.

And last, but not least, the cute light green casual Friday bag. This bag screams: “It’s the weekend! But I still have to do some Emails duh!”. It’s from a Spanish brand called Hakei and the leather is like butter, so, so soft. This bag has almost five years but I think has aged very well. It’s wrinkly and softer and kind of hipstery-like. I love it.

Writing this post I’ve realized that I’ve bought less than a work bag per year during the last four years. I think it’s a pretty reasonable expense. This takes me to conscious shopping, capsule-wardrobing and my latest experiment: I’m buying just one item of clothing /accessory per month (if I do buy one). It’s going pretty well, I might do a post about it soon. I guess my motto is: buy good quality so your pieces stand the test of time (and multiple usage) and buy just what you need.

And one last thing: all this bags have a bonus… they all double as perfect travel bags!

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6 Comments

So funny! Just a couple of weeks ago, I saw the blue Lancaster Adele bag in a shop and I spent LONG minutes debating about it. I didn’t NEED it, but I wanted it. I walked away and for the next few hours, kept trying to decide if I should buy it. I left the store (and that city) without it, but now you make me rethink my decision. It is a gorgeous bag! (My partner calls me the Bag Lady because I leave for work with multiple bags … computer bag, briefcase, lunch bag, purse, and if it’s workout day, a gym bag. I need more arms! Happy weekend!

You need more bags… or just one that fits all! ;) That bag is gorgeous… I would buy it but I’m really trying to have less things because I feel I enjoy my possessions more if I just have a few. Besides, having less makes me feel tidier, if that makes sense. However, I can’t recommend Lancaster bags enough! They are fantastic!

Bag are like shoes, at least for me: even if I don’t need one, well, I need to buy a new one ;)
The first time I heard about the Lancaster was from you and I’d love to buy the bucket soft bag which looks exactly like Mansur Gavriel’s but it’s a lot cheaper.
Thanks for mentioning Hakei: I didn’t know this brand and will have a look at their website.

I’m more a bag girl than a shoe girl… mostly because I have tiny feet and I don’t usually find in my size. You have to buy that bucket bag, it’s perfect. I wear it a lot and it still looks perfect. And it fits tons!
Hakei is a lovely brand, but I think its website doesn’t work at the moment. But you should check it out: great leather bags!

Yes, I saw that the website isn’t working right now but I’ll check it out later!
By the way, I bought a leather bag last week from a Maine company called Rough & Tumble (https://roughandtumbledesign.com/). The package is on its way to Italy and I can’t wait to get it :-)